Door operating mechanism



Nov. 10, 1931. J. F. OCONNOR 1,830,957

DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM- Filed Nov. 16, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l I NOV. 10, 1931. Q'CONNQR i 1,830,957

DOOR OPERATING MECHANI SM Filed Nov. 16, 1925 3 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 10, 1931 OFFICE f JOHN F. oconnon, or CHICAGO, ILLINoIs AssIGivoR 'ro w. H. MINER; me, or enrol-rec, rumors, A conrona'rron or DELAWARE- noon orEnArr'IneeMncnArnsM Application filed November This invention relates to door operating mechanisms. 1 v

An object of the invention is to provide a door operating mechanism" for refrigerator car doors; which includes 'a shaftmounted upon the door and adapted to have rolling movement parallel to the face of said door, said shaft having operating portions projecting beyond the top andbottom door edges which are adapted to cooperate with keepers secured to the door. frame for impart-- ing opening and closingmovements to the door, in conjunction with lever means. associated with said shaft in such-'mannerth'at the same is operative for rotating-"said shaft through substantially a full revolution, whereby the inclination 'of the keeperengaging surfaces the projection of the outermost portions of the keepers outwardly from the door frame, may be materially lessened and the power necessaryto be apreduced. p

- Other objects and advantages of the invention-will more clearly appear from the description and claims hereinafter -f011OW. .lngw y In the drawings forming, a' part of this specification. Figure leis a side elevation of a portion of a refrigeratorcar,showing the doors thereof, and my improvements in connection therewith. Figure Qhis a broken, vertical, sectional view. of the invention taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, and showing parts of the mechanism in elevation. Figure 3 is horizontal partial sectional view of the invention ,on the line 33 of Figure 1. Figure 4. is a horizontal sectional View of the invention taken sub stantially on the line 44 of Figure 2; showing the bottom keeper in plan. Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional View of the operating shaft and lever substantially upon. the line 5 5 of Figure 2, showing the position of the shaft and lever at the inception of the door opening operation. Figure'G is a view similarto Figure 5 showing the position of, the shaft and. lever when the same have been rotated one half revolution. And Figure 7 1s aview'sinnlar to Figure 5,.showing the In the drawings 16, 1925. Serial No. eaaee."

position of the shaft and lever when the same haveqbeen rotated substantially one complete able packings are provided on said meeting edges and also upon the outenedges of the doors and door frame. As is customary, the

operatingsh'aft is mounted on the last door to be closed, that is.the door 11 in the structure as shown. The doors 10 and 11 are swingably supported on the usual hinge members 13-43;

The improved door operating mechanism 'compnsesybroadly, a shaft A; a pair of guide brackets 'BB: a pair of'keepers C 0; and'lever operating means D'for said shaft.

plied to operate the shaft at a given instant, N

The operating shaft A. as shownQComprises' intermediate connecting bar 14.0frectanular formatiomand end castings 15-45,

the bar 14 havingepd portions Land an intermediate portion 17 which is off-set with respect to the end portions 16 for a purpose casting 15 is forked as indicated at 18 to receive the corresponding end 16 of the operating; bar 14. and is, secured to the bar by rivets 19, extending through the forked portions of the casting. At the outer end,'each casting v 15Iha-s an'end portion of cylindrical crosssection, as indicatedatQO, said cylindrical elonotated guide brackets B-B, each of which nre'ferably is in the form of a casting having a back wall. 22. side walls 23. and front connecting wall 24, the walls of each of said brackets being provided near one edge with inturnedportions 25 which provide a ledge defining an elongated slot 26, through which hereinafter more f lly describedJfEach end I ed in its movements by the upper and lower extends a bushing or thimble 27 which is fitted over the cylindrical end section 20 of each end casting 15, the outer end of the thimble terminating flush with the end of the'cylindrical portion 20. The inner end of the bushing is provided with a flange 127 bearing upon the inner surface of the ledge 25. The back wall 22 of each guide bracket is provided with a rack 28 meshing with the corresponding gear wheel 21, so that rotation of the shaft A' effects bodily translation thereof, and travel of the cylindrical end portions 20, and the bushings 27 associated therewith, in the slot 26 in the bracket, the bushing in each instance acting as a wear member to protect the cylindrical end portions 20, said bushings being replaceable when necessary by removing one of the brackets B. In this connection it is pointed out that the length of the rack 28 and of the slot 26, and the diameter of the gear 21, are so proportioned that the travel of the shaft effected by the meshing of the gear with the rack, is over a distance substantially coincident with the circumferential dimensions of the gear.

Secured to the lintel andthreshold of the door frame are the keepers CC hereinbefore referred to, each of which is provided with elongated parallel arcuate walls 29 and 30, the length of said walls corresponding to the movement of the shaft A, the arcs described by said walls being stuck upon a radius of relatively large extent, whereby each keeper is of minimum depth and projects a minimumeXtent from the face of the door frame. The walls 29 and 30 define a camming recess for co-operat-ion with the cylindrical portions 20.

and the bushings carried thereby. Each keeper is fastened to the car side by bolts 31 extending through flanges 32*and 33 on the keepers, the flange 33 being extended beyond the meeting edges of the doors and having a pivoted latch 34 mounted thereon, which is adapted to co-operate with a wearplate 3.5 fastened to the corresponding lower corner of the door 10.

As before stated, the gears and racks are so proportionedthat a full revolution of the shaft is necessary to cause the gear to traverse the full extent of'the rack, thisconstruction having the advantage thatthe power necessary to operate the shaft at a given instant is reduced, and that keepers and guide brackets and gears are of minimum size so as to project from the door and car frame a minimum distance. In conjunction with adoor operating mechanism of the character specified, it is desirable to utilize lever means sub stantially similar to those now commonly in use for rotating the shaft.' In effecting the accomplishment of this result, the shaft A has the intermediate portion thereo'f'off'set with respect to the end portions 16, as heretofore pointed out, and formed integrally with the intermediate portion 17, adjacent the'lower end portion 16, is an off-set branch 36 which provides a crotch 37 for the reception of the end 38 of the lever D, said lever having an off-set branch 39 fittin upon the outside of the branch 36, a rivet 40 extending through the portion 17 of the shaft, the end 38 of the lever, and the branches 36 and 39 formed on the lever and shaft, said rivet serving to pivotally connect the lever D to the shaft A, the lever bearing against the crotch portion to prevent its downward movement and normally maintaining the same in horizontal position, said lever being freely swingable to either side of said shaft in an upward direction. The lever D is provided with an aperture 4.1 adapted for the reception of a keeper 42 fixed on the door 10, by which the lever may be locked to the door 10 when the mechanism is in closed position.

the position shown in Figure 1, the lever D is first disconnected fromthe locking means and swung outwardly away from the door, to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, the shaft during this movement, by reason of engagement of the gears 21' with the racks 28 of the brackets B, moving bodily, and rotating upon its axis through substantially one-half revolution, causing a movement of the end portions 20 half-way out of the slots'in keepers C, and effecting partial opening movement of the door. When the lever D has reached the position indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1, and shown also in Figure 6, the same may be swung upwardly counter-clockwise in the direction indicated bythe arrow in Figure 1, past the shaft A, and downwardly into the position which it occupied at the inception of the door opening movement, after which the lever may be again swung outwardly from the door toimpart another half revolution to the shaft A, the final half revolution of the shaft serving to bodily move the sameby reason of the continuous engagement of the gears 21 with the racks 28 of the brackets B, the projecting portions 20 during this operation traveling along the keepers C and to a position where the same may be disengaged from the recesses in the keepers, the door during the latter operation being forced outwardly an additional distance so as to entirely clear the insulation between the door edges. The lever D at the end of the door opening movement willlie against the door 11, and when it is desired to close the door, the door is first partially closed so as to place the projections 20 in position to enter the slots in the keepers. The lever D is then moved outwardly away from the door 11 to a position adjacent the door 10, after which the lever is relayed by swinging the same upwardly and laterally past the shaft A to the position which it occupied at the inception of theclosing movement, a further outward swinging of the lever -D from the door 11 imparting the final half revolution to the shaft necessary to cause the shaft to move bodily and impart travel to the projecting portions 20, so as to force the door to fully closed position, the lever D vwhen the door is fully closed and the shaft sulation at the door edges, and this is made possible through the provision of the shaft which is rotatable through substantially a full revolution, in conjunction with the means which transmit the rotative movement of the shaft to effect a movement of the door equal to the'distance required to clear the insulation.

While I have herein shown and described the preferred manner of carrying out the invention, the same is merely illustrative, and I contemplate all changes and modifications that come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim: 1

1. In a car door operating mechanism, the combination with a door member and a pivoted door; of means for operating said door in opening and closing directions, said means including a rotatable shaft and co-acting devices upon said door and shaft operating to effect rolling movement of said shaft transversely of said door upon rotation thereof, said shaft having means co-operating with said keeper means to effect movement of said door whensaid shaft is rotated, said means being effective for approximately a full revolution of said shaft; and means for rotating said shaft, said means including a leverpivotally connected to said shaft and mounted to swing in a plane substantially parallel with said door to either side of said shaft, said lever being movable in a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane of said door to effect partial rotation of said shaft, and

' swingable past said shaft to position the same whereby further movement in a plane perpendicular to said door of said lever effects additional rotation of said shaft.

2. In a refrigerator car having a pivoted side door, the combination with keepers mounted on said car; of a rotatable shaft mounted on the door; cooperating means. on the door and shaft for efiecting rolling movement of the shaft laterally of said door and i in a plane parallel to the same, when said shaft is rotated; means on the shaft operatively engaging with said keepers continuously throughout more than a rotation of 180- degrees of said shaft for effecting movement of said door; and means, for producing rotation" ofsaid shaft through" an angle of more than 180, including an operating lever shiftable transversely of'the shaft to project the same tooneside or the other of said shaft, said leverbei'ng held againstswinging movement relative to said shaft about the axis'of the same. I

thereof, "the combination with a swinging door for closingsaid opening; of keeper means'onthe car having camways; a shaft rotatable 'onsaid door, said shaft having means thereon adapted to engage ,with'the cam'ways of the keeper means to effect opening'and closingmovements of the door; co-

"3."Ina car having a door opening in a wall V pivotedon the shaft to swing in a vertical plane about the pivotal axis thereof, from one side of the shaft to the other, to dispose I said lever on said first named side of said axis, said lever being swingable about the axis of the shaft when so positioned to the other side of said axis to effect additional rotation of the shaft while still engaged with the camways of the keeper means. f

4. In a door operating mechanism for cars, the combination with a door frame; of a 3 swinging door cooperating with said frame; a shaft rotatably mounted on the door; co-

operating means on said door and shaft for effecting displacement of said shaft, when rotated, along said door; keeper means on the door frame, said keeper means-having a camway thereon; means on said shaft continuously engaging within said camway of the keeper means during said displacement of the shaft while rotated through'more than 180 to effect opening and closing movement of'the door; means for rotating said shaft, including an operating lever pivoted on the shaft to swing about an axis transverse of the shaft, the pivoted end portion of said lever being disposed between the shaft and the'door when said door is in closed position.

5. In a refrigerator car provided with a door opening in a wall thereof, the combination with a pivoted door for closing said effecting, when said shaft is rotated, lateral movement of the shaft along said door in a plane parallel to the plane of the door;

keeper means on the wall having cam means I I cooperating with said kee-per'engaging means to effect o'pening'and closing movements of the door upon saidlateral movement of the i shaft while rotated; means, for rotating the shaft, including an operating lever swingable about the axis of the shaft toward and away from said door through an arc of approximately 180 ;and means movably connecting the lever to the shaft for displaceinent from one side of the shaft to the other and continuously locking said lever and shaft together against relative rotation about the axis of the shaft to effect movement of said shaft in unison with the lever when the lever is swung about the axis of the shaft.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 13th day of November, 1925. V

. V JOHN F. OCONNOR. 

